


Let's go hand in hand, not one before another.

by Katianajazz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26391412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katianajazz/pseuds/Katianajazz
Summary: Hermione finds out she's adopted. Harry finds diaries of his mother documenting a very different war than he knows about. Between them they discover the truth and the power he knows not.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson/Harry Potter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione kissed both of her parents goodbye, assuring she'd write to them, the moment she got to school safely. It was an accident she'd said, to be expected in a magical school she'd said, she was fine, she said. Yet ever since Hermione had arrived home from Hogwarts following her third yet petrification and the consequent news her parents had broken to her, they'd been nervous, almost smothering in their attempts to reassure her of her worth and themselves that she wouldn't just vanish into thin air.   
Luckily she spotted Harry as he stumbled from the midrange saloon car, well kept but despite the private number plate, evidently a few years out of date.   
She knew how the Dursleys treated their nephew so took pleasure in waving Harry over to meet her parents who were stood by their new Bentley and smiling smugly at the astonished face of Petunia and the rapidly reddening face of her doughy husband. She didn't care about wealth, but Harry's relatives definitely did, they would turn green with envy over the home the Grangers lived in and simper at the prestigious clients of their Knightsbridge dental practice. 

Harry gave her a lopsided grin as he dragged his battered trunk towards her, even though he had a perfectly good trunk, he insisted on using the battered old thing, he did not want the Dursleys knowing he had money.   
She reached out and pulled him into a hug, she didn't quite rival Molly Weasley in fierceness, but her affection seemed more genuine.   
"Mum, Dad this is Harry Potter, Harry this is my Mum and Dad."   
Harry, having disentangle himself from Hermione smiled at the adults in front of him, "Hello Mr & Mrs Granger"  
Mr & Mrs Granger had glanced at each other as their daughter hugged the gangly looking boy, they had noted the glares from the people who had dropped him off and left without so much as a goodbye as soon as he'd got his trunk free.   
"Hi Harry, we've heard lots about you." Mrs Granger greet Harry with a warm smile that made him blush.   
Hermione was busy checking her satchel, she needed a selection of books to read on the long train journey as well as muggle notebooks and biros for making notes. Turning she gave her parents one last hug 'Love you Mum and Daddy. Come on Harry we need to find a good compartment I don't want to share!' 

They quickly found a trolley, Hermione held it while Harry and Mr Granger piled the luggage on, Harry inquisitive as usual peered into the straw basket Mrs Granger added to the pile and leapt back in shock as a ginger paw with lots of vicious looking claws almost took his nose off.   
"Hermione, what in Me..God's name is that?!"   
Hermione crooned over the basket, "Did the nasty boy scare you My Little crooksy? Harry you scared him, he's just a little cat!"  
"Are you sure it's a cat? Where did you get it? Are you sure it's not a tiger cub or something more…..magical?" He said the last word quietly.   
She shot him a dirty look as they stated off towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Mr and Mrs Granger watched them go, bickering about Crookshanks, just before they passed through the station entrance Harry said something that made Hermione laugh and her parents heart mend a little, she never really had friends and seeing her interact like this with another person her age made them feel easier about letting her return to the school where she had so recently been injured. 

Platform 9 ¾ was bustling as usual, first years were sticking close to their parents gazing up in wonder at the crimson engine of the Hogwarts Express which sat quietly occasionally belching out a cloud of steam. Hermione's parents had taken her onto the platform the first year and they collected her every year, but she had urged them to say goodbye at the station entrance the last couple of years. They passed Neville saying goodbye to his formidable grandmother, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot talking while Hannah's father loaded their trunks onto the express for them. Hermione murmured to Harry as they walked, Nevilles grandmother was part of wizangamot, Susan lived with her Aunt Amelia who was part of the law division of the Ministry. Harry wondered where she'd got her information from, but Hermione always did know everything.   
They passed Malfoy, he was speaking to his father, as Hermione and Harry passed both looked up an identical look of distaste upon their pointed features, that was nothing new, what surprised the teenagers was the amused eyeroll Narcissa Malfoy sent toward her son and husband before drawing their attention by clearing her throat delicately.   
Hermione pushed the odd occurrence from her mind and dragged Harry onto the train, between them they soon had their belongings stowed away in an end compartment, Harry's preference being away from the gawking crowds. They hadn't been seated long when a crashing and laughing signalled the arrival of Fred and George Weasley and close behind them Ron, Ginny and Percy barking officious instructions at them. "I won't have you humiliating me, I am in a position of authority!" Ron's face appeared at the apartment window, "thank Merlin we have an apartment to ourselves, go away Ginny, find your own friends." Hermione glared at Ron "Ginny just happens to be my friend Ronald." She turned to smile at the younger redhead, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. Ginny returned the smile and settled herself down, Ron glared at the two girls, but seeing his efforts were being ignored turned to talk to Harry about the latest Quidditch results and upcoming Hogwarts season, it was clear he was desperate to try out, but there was no way he was a good enough keeper to compete with older students who would also attend trials if they were held, although to the best of his knowledge nobody on the team was planning on standing down, perhaps Ron would get a shot at reserve keeper if he was lucky.

Hermione and Ginny discussed their summer holidays, Ginny was grateful that Hermione didn’t look at her with pity or disgust and certainly didn’t seem to blame her for the events which had taken place at Hogwarts. Arthur had been approached by Madam Bones, who had gently suggested that perhaps Ginny would benefit from visiting a mind healer. The first few weeks of the holiday consisted of intense therapy for the youngest Weasley and by the time the family set off for Egypt she was feeling much better about herself. Hermion asked questions about their holiday, genuinely interested in the opinions Ginny had formed about the ancient history and magic of the places they had visited. Ginny, who had been dreading the trip back to Hogwarts started to brighten a little bit, maybe this year wasn’t going to be awful after all. Her mood brightened even further when Luna Lovegood appeared at their carriage door and greeted her with a bright smile and an invitation to meet some other girls from their year. She had been enjoying talking to Hermione, but the prospect of getting to know girls she hadn’t managed to make friends with the previous year was too tempting for her to pass up and Hermione didn’t seem to mind her excusing herself. 

“Hermione, I don’t know why you encourage her, she’s enough of a hanger on as it is.” Ron started to scold Hermione the moment the carriage door closed, Harry sighed, closed his eyes and let his head drop back onto the seat, Ron seemed to find pleasure in riling Hermione at every available opportunity, a move which seemed rather stupid to Harry, had Ron not been paying attention to how formidable Hermione was when crossed?   
It however seemed that Hermione wasn’t in the mood to get into any kind of argument with Ron, perhaps she had settled on the belief that you couldn’t argue with stupid, however much Harry loved Ron, and he really really did, even he couldn’t deny the fact that his best friend wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

Ignoring Ron, Hermione turned to Harry, she seemed to be struggling with something, her brow was creased in thought and she chewed on her lip, a sure sign there was something bothering her, something she couldn’t quite figure out how to bring up. He could of course let her sit and worry at it until she just spat it out, but it seemed today was a day of uncharacteristic behaviour for both of them. “What’s bothering you Hermione? You may as well tell us now, then we have all the way to Hogwarts to figure it out. If we haven’t managed to find an answer by the time we get there, we can always visit the library?” He smiled cheekily at her and ducked as she aimed a half exasperated swat at his head. 

“Well I do have some things to tell you actually, some are about you, some are about me. I’m not really sure where to start….” She was spared having to start at all when the door opened again, Ron opened his mouth to tell whoever it was to bugger off when he saw it was an adult, the man was about 6ft, he had shaggy brown hair, he was wearing a slightly worn tweed suit and carried a battered brown holdall in one hand. He nodded at them in greeting, “Do you mind?” He gestured at the empty corner of the compartment.   
Hermione, always polite to adults in any situation, smiled, “Of course not Sir.” He seemed to freeze as Hermione spoke, a puzzled look crossed his face before he moved into the apartment and slid down into the seat, he tucked his hands into his pockets, leant back and closed his eyes, it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, soft snores reached their ears making Ron laugh. 

Harry wasn't about to let the interruption stop him finding out what it was that Hermione had to share so he gently prodded her with his foot, “come on then, out with it.” Taking a breath she launched into her news. “Professor McGonagall visited my parents when I was petrified to let them know i’d had an accident at school but everything was ok. It really freaked my parents out, when I got home they told me they had to tell me something. I’m adopted, they’re not my real parents.” An awkward silence fell over the group of friends, Harry wasn’t sure what to say to Hermione in the wake of what must have been a bombshell, Ron didn’t really understand, adoption wasn’t really something that was discussed in the wizarding world very openly. Unnoticed Remus’ eyes had opened and he was watching the trio closely.   
Harry was the one to break the silence, he moved over to Hermione's side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Are you ok? I don’t know what to say, really.” Ron chose that moment to open his mouth, “Blood hell Hermione, does that mean your real parents didn’t want you? Adoption is so cold, family is family after all, i’m glad adoption doesn’t happen in the magical world!” Hermione who had been smiling at Harry a moment ago winced, her face dropped and it seemed she was taking deep breaths to control her emotions. Remus felt a surge of protectiveness toward the young girl in front of him and an urge to give the red head a years worth of detentions. It seemed that Harry had the same thought, his eyes had narrowed, he opened his mouth to berate his mate, but Hermione beat him to it.   
“I think you’ll find Ronald that Adoption is indeed a thing in the wizarding world and it is a lot more common than you think. I’ve also been doing some reading and it’s surprising what i’ve found out. You see Ronald, magic doesn’t just come from nowhere, it doesn’t just spring into existence, it has to be passed down to children from their parents, so the chances are my parents or at least one parent was magical, or born into a magical family. Perhaps a squib, because as you’ll know, pureblood families, including the Weasleys cast out their squib relatives!” Rant over she turned away from him, she was breathing hard and her face was red, infused with anger over his insensitivity. 

“No!” the exclamation fell from his lips almost involuntarily, “you’re wrong no magical family would get rid of a baby, babies are magical and…..and special, even families as evil as the Malfoys wouldn’t do that. I bet your poor muggle parents just couldn’t deal with the freakish nature of their supposed muggle baby.” This time Harry had to hold Hermione back from physically attacking Ron, he couldn’t say he blamed her, he started to wonder how good a mother Molly really was, surely she must have dropped her youngest son on his head at some point, he really had no sense of self preservation. Under different circumstances, he probably would have allowed Hermione to hit him a few times before restraining her, however with the current company watching them he thought better of it. He had become aware that the man in the corner was watching them during Hermione’s, he seemed merely curious and Harry didn’t see any harm. 

Ron, belatedly realising that perhaps he reaction to the news hadn't been particularly comforting or helpful, was going to say something further, miraculously for him his self preservation kicked in and he fled the compartment muttering about going to see how Dean & Seamus were doing.   
Harry offered Hermione a small smile, she beat him to what he was going to say "Yes, I know Harry, he didn't mean it.", 

They sat quietly for a couple of minutes while Hermione got herself back together, Ron had really managed to hit a nerve, why wasn't she wanted? Busying herself in her bag she withdrew the articles about herself, she wondered if what she had to show him would be too close to his own situation for him to bear, he was rather sensitive about his childhood, for good reason. 

"They didn't know much more, only they adopted me when I was toddling, they weren't exactly sure how old I was, maybe eighteen months." She handed Harry the small envelope she'd neatly folded the articles and reports her parents had given her into. He took it spilling the contents out onto the small folding table between them, Hermione picked up the front page newspaper article which begged her parents to come forward, urged the woman who had abandoned this baby mere hours after it was born to check herself into a hospital, promised help if she was in an untenable situation. There were several other articles they got smaller, less hopeful, until the last one was relegated to the back page among the second hand bikes, lost dogs and wanted ads. 

The police report they read was just as unhelpful, although Harry had to fight the nausea he felt rising in his chest, he never thought he'd be grateful for having been dumped on a doorstep. Baby Hermione had been dumped in a back alley, among the rubbish due to be collected that day, she had been wrapped in a grubby blanket, no note, no clothes, no comfort for the tiny baby. 

The police had had several phone calls over the course of the day, an off licence owner called in concerned at the state of the two people trailing a baby around in the freezing November weather.   
A priest at a local soup kitchen reporting a couple of regulars with the baby, attempting to feed it soup. He had tried to get them to stay, they had fled declaring the baby was theirs, finders keepers.   
A well known slum landlord, normally content to let his junkie tenants get on with it drew the line at what he supposed was kidnap, the couple had turned up with a tiny baby squalling it's lungs out and he called the police, a few moments later he called the fire brigade. When the police arrived they found the flat in flames, the fire brigade struggling to get the blaze under control, two junkies gibbering about how the baby had set the flat on fire. A fire officer stood close by cradling the small baby in his arms, a neighbour with children of her own had brought out a bottle and the baby was feeding hungrily. It was a surreal and tragic scene. 

Harry couldn't help but gaze at the date of the reports Hermione had been abandoned exactly one year before his parents had been taken from him. 

They had been talking quietly, unaware their entire conversation was being listened to by the gentleman slouched in the corner. His eyes were closed, if they had been open the teens would have seen they were golden, sharp and animalistic, he was controlling himself with Herculean will, he wanted to hunt people down, hurt them, rip them. His nails dug into the flesh of his palm, recalling him to the current situation. 

Before they could discuss the situation any further, the screeching of brakes as the train shuddered to a halt made them look up in surprise, they hadn't been on the train long enough to have reached Hogsmeade station already.   
Hermione unconsciously clutched at Harry, the lights had flickered and gone out, leaving them in complete darkness, there was a chill in the air which they hadn't noticed as they'd boarded the train. Hermione couldn't get her brain to work, why was it dark? How many tunnels were there on the way to Hogwarts which allowed such total blackness? 

A noise filled her ears a whooshing crackling noise she could see flames and feel the heat it hurt, soft dying words washed over her 'Sigillum hic magicae'. She was wrenched out of the despair of her memories a bright golden light burst forth from the tip of her wand. Harry, who had been on his knees, rose unsteadily, his arm wrapped around his best friend as the warmth from her spell chased away the screams of his mother and the flash of purple light which exploded around him.


	2. Chapter 2

In a compartment almost as far away from the one containing the golden trio, a name which was spoken with a derisive sneer by these occupants sat Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. They were a close knit group of friends, much more so than outsiders would suppose, they were Slytherin and Slytherins did not broadcast their feelings, it would not do letting everyone know what your weaknesses were. 

Draco had been holding court, debating the virtue of one obscure quidditch move versus another, Daphne and Pansy were both quidditch fans, they enjoyed watching the school games and Daphne even had a season ticket to see the Falmouth Falcons with her father and younger sister Astoria. Their mother disapproved, such activities were unsuitable for young ladies in her opinion, luckily for the girls Edward Greengrass was a doting father and ignored his wife's harpy like demands. 

However neither girl had any desire to spend the entire journey talking about the Barbary Bomb, Selwyn Sweep or any other quidditch move. There was also the fact that Pansy clearly had something important on her mind, she had been flicking through magazines with Daphne, normally they would be giggling over the salacious gossip or cooing at the newest fashions, today Pansy was putting up a decent front, but not good enough for Daphne who had known her since they were both in nappies. 

It was like it eventually got too much for her, suddenly the poised girl burst out “I think theirs something wrong with my magic.”  
It was loud enough for the boys to stop their debate and sit back in their seats looking at her curiously, Daphne slid the glossy magazine back into her bag and reached out taking her friends hand in her own, “What happened Pans?” she asked softly. 

Taking a breath Pansy launched into everything that had happened, “I went to you mothers Samhain Ball as you know, i’ve been participating in the seasonal rituals along with my family since last Samhain, though Mother and Father decided I was too young to attend the ball last year. The rituals our family perform are”   
She paused her cheeks flushing slightly, the Parkinson family were well known in pureblood society as practitioners of sex magic, worshippers of Anu & Clidna, the pause caused Crabbe and Goyle to pale significantly. Pansy snorted in an unladylike manner, something that would never happen outside this circle of friends.   
“Get your minds out of the gutter, the rituals Sylvie and participate in are normal, just like you do, we’re not old enough to really lend our magic to the family yet.” 

Draco nodded, he too had been participating in family rituals since the previous year, he was proud of the fact his parents trusted him to do his bit in blessing the land, but he understood that the more powerful rituals were performed while he was tucked up safe inside, sometimes he’d wake up in the middle of the night feeling the wave of magic pulse through him as the Malfoy’s offered themselves to the Goddess Brigid and her sisters. He was looking forward to the day when his father would lead him out into the grounds to the small stone circle set in a small grove of mature yew trees, they would sit upon the stone bench and his father would explain all that the ritual entailed. On his sixteenth birthday he would participate fully. 

Pansy continued to speak, “When I first participated it was amazing, I could really feel the magic.” The young people nodded, urging her to continue.   
“My parents told me what to expect at the ball, I knew what the midnight blessing would entail, I knew all of the incantations. That magic took my breath away, it was…..” her eyes glazed “perfect.”   
Daphne couldn’t see the problem, she too had been at the Sahmain Ball, Pansy was right the magic blessing the rising of the sun on Sahmain had been intense, the power rippling through the room, dancing and swirling had touched them all, it had felt wonderful. “But Pansy, that’s how the blessing feels, it’s everyone’s power.”   
Pansy shook her head vehemently " No, you don't understand. It wasn't like the magic of our family ritual, that felt good, but it was just power. At Sahmain the magic surrounded me, it felt part of me, it was golden and shining, it fit." She continued her voice less insistent, "we went home and performed out family ritual, the magic felt wrong, I felt dirty." Her eyes were full of tears as she took a shuddering breath, trying to get herself under control. Daphne had moved closer to her friend and enveloped her in a tight hug, Theo and Draco looked thoughtful, both of them comparing the way magic felt to them. Crabbe and Goyle, rather more simple thinkers, shuddered at the thought of the family magic feeling anything less than homey when it washed over them. 

Theo was the first to speak, “Are you sure the euphoria of the Sahmain ball didn’t just enhance the experience for you? I know the power can be heady.” Pansy shook her head, “No, i’m sure it isn’t when I got home that night I cast a nox to turn off my bedroom light and turn off every light in the house. After our ritual everything I cast seemed….dull and everything Sylvie cast seemed brighter.” 

Draco was still deep in thought, he knew Sylvie, she was Pansy’s twin sister, the two had been separated at the sorting ceremony, Sylvie went to Ravenclaw and Pansy to Slytherin, nobody was particularly surprised, the two girls neither looked nor acted at all similarly.   
He smiled at his friend, 'Don't worry Pan's we'll do some research, I'm sure Theo is right and it has something to do with the sheer volume of magic at the ball."

Pansy smiled at her friends, she felt much better with their reassurances, she had tried to speak to her parents about it, her mother had gone pale and looked sick at the thought of their magic feeling dirty and her father dismissed her without further discussion. 

Daphne felt Pansy relax next to her so she steered the conversation towards fashion and the gowns and robes the older women at the Malfoy Ball had been wearing and soon they were deep.on a discussion about Narcissa's events. 

Narcissa Malfoy’s Samhain ball was the social event of the season, as a member of two of the most prominent sacred twenty eight houses she had unlimited resources at her disposal, catering companies fell over themselves to impress the doyenne of high class social functions, party planners were more reserved, having been put through the ringer by her and her entourage in previous years. Narcissa would not settle for anything but the best.   
Each year she gathered together her closest friends and they spent a day sampling menus from the most up and coming chefs who had made their short list. Their husbands were sent to visit various wineries with orders to bring back only the best wines and spirits, it was a job the husbands relished and they often arrived back at Malfoy Manor a little worse for wear. 

This year had been no exception, applications to cater for the event had been poured in. Armando, the chef who had catered for the Harvest celebration had opened a prestigious restaurant off the back of the publicity and fame he had acquired from the event. 

An up and coming wedding planner had decided that Narcissa Malfoy couldn't possibly be as demanding as some of the bridezillas she dealt with on a regular basis and submitted an application she had an entire portfolio of supporting designs and ideas.   
She was wrong, Narcissa was precise and exacting, she preferred an understated elegance in every aspect of the occasion, letting Malfoy Manor and gardens shine throughout. Everything had to be perfect, not one silken ribbon, flower or sparking crystal out of place. The woman had, surprisingly enjoyed every single moment, Narcissa had been impressed and had claimed her for all future events. 

The boys went back to discussing quidditch, Theo was the only one of them that didn't play much, Draco had made seeker the year before and Crabbe and Goyle both hoped they would at least be able to try out as beaters. 

Their conversations were interrupted by the train drawing to a shuddering halt, the lights flickered off and the air became heavy and uneasy. Pansy shivered, ice was forming over the carriage windows further obscuring their view, a faint rustling could be heard from the corridor outside. She moaned, her head suddenly filled with screaming and shouting, the bright orange glow of flames seemed to surround her, she was miserable, so miserable.   
A sudden burst of energy seemed to yank her out of her misery and she found her wand in her hand a stream of golden light pouring from the tip. 

The friends gazed at her in surprise, where before there had only been oppressive misery and encroaching darkness now there was light, magic caressed them gently making their hearts soar. Pansy was stood feet apart, shoulders back wand extended, the golden light bathing her in its glow making her look like an avenging angel. 

Without warning sun was streaming back through the windows of the train and the journey resumed. Pansy sank back down resting her head on her hands, she had no idea what had just happened, everytime she closed her eyes she heard the screaming, saw the flickering flame and shuddered. The others were trapped in similar recollections as children of the Dark Lords supporters they had heard and seen things they certainly shouldn't have and their memories came back with a vengeance. 

They were roused from their unpleasant reveries by a few other Slytherins from their year who brought the gossip, apparently the disturbance had been dementors from Azkanban searching for the convict Sirius Black. At the mention of a member of the Ancient and Noble House of Black the group shared brief looks of understanding. It would be one of those years, if possible the group of snakes straightened their backs further, raised their chins and reinforced their mental defences.


	3. Chapter 3

The sorting ceremony, normally highly anticipated, wasn't charged with its normal excitement, the Dementors visit to the Express had scared the students. The first years huddled together waiting to be called forward, the sorting was pretty even, small witches and wizards scurried to their new houses amid polite applause. 

Dumbledore stood silencing the chattering students with a raised hand. "Welcome back to Hogwarts, I hope you've all enjoyed your summer holidays. I have been made aware that you have all met the Dementors. These creatures are with us at the behest of the ministry, they are searching for an escapee and the ministry are keen to keep the next generation of witches and wizards safe. They will not come near the school, so there will be no more unpleasantness." 

Professor McGonagall seemed to be staring at him in disbelief at his offhand manner and dismissal of an entire swarm of Dementors descending upon a train full of children supervised only by the trolley witch who was a squib, a couple of engine guards and a professor who was only there by a stroke of luck. 

"Now I'd like to introduce your new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor. Professor Lupin." The applause was polite but not effusive, most of the pupils just wanted to eat and go to bed, hoping the feelings that were still fresh in their minds would have vanished by morning. 

"Harry if I leave after eating I'll have enough time to visit the library to see what I can find out about those things and still be back in the common room before curfew. Professor Dumbledore said they won't come near the castle." 

A similar conversation was taking place at the Slytherin table, Draco and Theo had insisted that whatever the old goat said they wouldn't be letting Daphne or Pansy visit the library on their own. Daphne capitulated immediately recognising the concern on the boys faces. It took them a little longer to convince Pansy and they had to promise to share the books and information they found with her immediately. 

Neither Hermione nor Harry ate much, their minds were much too consumed with questions, they felt that they were at a disadvantage, neither of them had been brought up in the magical world and things which they felt were unbelievable were quite often real and magical. After all ghosts and portraits that moved, people that turned into animals, flying on broomsticks, unicorns and basilisks were only a few of the things they wouldn't have believed were real until their introduction into the Wizarding World. 

They had no idea if what had happened in the train was normal or not and they weren't about to start asking questions if it was just another one of the things that magical community assumed they knew. 

Harry kept Ron distracted while Hermione slipped away, only Ginny saw her leaving but made no attempt to stop or follow her. She took a couple of short cuts and made it to the library in record time, Madam Pince greeted her like an old friend and reminded her that she only had half an hour before the library would close. Hermione had spent a good portion of her time at the feast cataloguing a list of topics she'd need to search for, wizarding libraries were much more challenging to search than their non magical counterparts, they had a comprehensive index with an awesome search function, with the flick of your wand you could filter the list by author, topic, year of publishing and more, however it ultimately relied on the witches and wizards searching for texts being able to cast accio. Then came the problem that a lot of the more valuable books had anti summoning charms cast upon them to prevent damage and theft. Hogwarts had gotten around the issue by placing all the commonly searched books in one area of the library, they were catalogued simply by the author.   
Hermione knew none of the books she was looking for would be in this sections so quickly made her way through the index writing down the books she was looking for, she had become somewhat of an expert at finding her way around the crammed shelves during her time at the school, always keen to have a few books with her to fill her hours of leisure. She was a little irritated to find several of the books she wanted weren’t where they were supposed to be and her irritation only grew as she had found herself having to navigate around Malfoy and Nott who were also searching the shelves. Before long she had The Pure-Blood Directory by Cantankerous Nott, World Mythology, Most Macabre Monstrosities and Bestiarium Magicum clutched in her arms, Madam Pince checked them out for her with a small smile. 

Her luck had held while she was in the library, Malfoy and his little sidekick had been too occupied on their own quest to notice her, however they were just outside the doors when she left, they had been talking quietly, but both looked up as she exited. Sighing she made to push past the, she really didn’t have time for their bullshit, her attempt was rebuffed, both boys were significantly larger than her and they blocked her way. Malfoy was examining her pile of books with interest, his eyes narrowed as he looked back at Hermione.   
“The Pureblood Directory? You certainly won’t find your name in there, mudblood, you’re in the right direction with Macabre Monstrosities though, possibly listed under ‘Harpy’?” Theo laughed “maybe she’s looking for a husband to bring honor to her name, Weasley sure as hell won’t cut it, he’s in there somewhere under blood traitor.” 

Hermione took a deep breath, she didn’t want to lose her temper, she was a little bit worried what would happen with her magic if she did and she really didn’t want to be locked up for harming the precious purebloods, she was grateful when Madam Pince appeared behind them, she had obviously done her final check of the library and was now locking the doors for the night. “Is everything ok here Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy?” Hermione nodded “Yes, Ma’am” She took advantage of the distraction to slip away and make her way back to the Gryffindor tower.

As soon as she entered the common room she was swept up by Ron and Dean, her friends were all sat around a couple of the well stuffed armchairs near the windows. “Here she is Harry, I can’t believe the little bookworm vanished to the library before dessert, did you see her leaving?” Harry gave Hermione a small apologetic smile, Ron could never appreciate Hermione’s love of books however many times she pointed out that her love of books was just like his love of Quidditch.   
“Mione, you don’t want to read this, it’s a load of rubbish, only the kind of stuff Malfoy and his goons pay attention to.” He had been browsing through the pile of books hoping that she’d perhaps picked up the latest edition of Quidditch through the Ages which had come out a few weeks before, he had seen it at Flourish and Blotts when the family had visited for their school books but his mother said they couldn’t afford the 15 galleons.  
Rolling her eyes Hermione pried the book out of his hands, “Ronald, the wizarding world is governed by the minister of magic and his advisors made up of members of the Wizangamot, they are all pureblood, we may only be in third year but this the year we start our electives, that means we need to be thinking about our futures. I for one would like to learn all I can about the people who will be dictating my future.” It was lucky the prefects chose that moment to call curfew for 1st, 2nd & 3rd years, it was a system that had been developed to stop the entire house descending upon the narrow winding stairs all together. Years 1-3 headed up to their dorms first, 4th and 5th followed half an hour later and 6th & 7th years had the luxury of an empty common room to relax in before they headed to bed in dribs and drabs, as long as they were in the common room by curfew the time they had to be in bed was relatively relaxed. 

Ginny helped Hermione to scoop up her books and they headed up the stairs together, Ginny dropped Hermione's books off on her bed before wishing her a goodnight and leaving for her own dormitory. It always saddened the girls that they were in different years, although Ginny got on relatively well with the girls in her year she was nowhere near as close to them as she was to Hermione who spent several weeks over the course of a year staying at The Burrow and sharing a room like sisters. Hermione on the other hand was totally different to the other girls in her year, she enjoyed learning and books. They wanted to talk about nothing more serious than the latest hairdressing charms or beauty products, she longed to chat with Ginny about other, more interesting things. 

It didn’t take her long to get ready for bed, the elves had unpacked her trunk into the small wardrobe and chest of drawers which flanked her bed. They hadn’t been brave enough to try and remove the cranky cat from his basket so they had placed it next to her bed, the door open allowing him to exit at his leisure. Hermione was pleased to see water and food had been provided for him, she ignored the grumbling sounds he was making as she extracted him from the basket and plonked him down upon the foot of her bed. He turned around a few times before settling again his bushy tail curled over his nose as he ignored his little mistress, after all it had been her that had tricked him into the damn basket with a lovely tempting kipper. 

Hermione brushed her hair and tied it into a neat plait, she had learnt during the holidays how to tame the wild curls that usually did exactly what they wanted into a more manageable hairstyle. Shuffling down under the covers she waved her wand closing the thick hangings around her bed, thankful for the privacy they afforded her, she was sure that she’d never sleep the day had been far too eventful for a fitful night. Her magic had other ideas, her magic which was usually antsy, dancing too close to the surface felt sated and happy, Hogwarts always felt like home, settling it down and as soon as its mistress’s head hit the pillow she was asleep.

Deep in the dungeons a similar scene had taken place, Draco and Theo had sauntered into the common room, their research had taken a different path to Hermione’s they had focused on the magic Pansy had performed, she hadn’t uttered a word yet the spell which had poured from her wand was powerful, they had all felt the raw power. Pansy waved them over to where she sat with Daphne, Crabbe and Goyle were off somewhere on their own, quite possibly playing hunt the little firsties, they couldn’t be relied upon to make intelligent decisions.   
They’d barely sat down before she was demanding to see what they’d found, they shared their haul with her, each of them took a book, Draco and Pansy focused on silent spell-casting while Theo and Daphne started to read about defensive magic, what was it that had scared away the Dementors?

They hadn’t got very far into their research when Professor Snape swept into the room, he always made it his business to visit them on the first day of term to impart words of warning and advice. It wouldn’t do to not pay attention to their head of house who did his best to prepare and warn the new students of the possible censure they would receive merely based on their house and reassure the older students that they were still valued and that as unapproachable as he seemed he was still there if they needed him. His deep voice swept though the room commanding the attention of all of its occupants. “Welcome to the House of Salazar Slytherin, Salazar was wise, he was cunning and he was ambitious, none of those qualities are negative qualities to have. We are loyal to our own. Over the next few weeks you will hear that we are the house of evil, that every witch or wizard to ever go bad was a Slytherin. Slimy Snake, Filth, Death Eater are some of the slurs that may be flung your way. Remember this. Our house is mighty, our house is true to its founders legacy, do not cower, do not run. Hold your heads high!”  
He paused looking around at the members of his house, “As usual I am at your disposal should you require my assistance.” He inclined his head towards the head boy before sweeping from the room. 

Draco looked around at the first years and laughed softly, they were staring in awe at the place their head of house had been standing and he wondered if he hadn't known Severus since he was a baby if he would have been so affected by the man's presence. 

They didn't have chance to finish researching, but they had made some progress, Theo had found the description of a spell called Expecto Patronum which was the only sure fire way to repel the negative side effects of the Dementors and drive them away. 

Pansy settled in bed glad to be back at Hogwarts among her friends, her worries she'd been having about her magic were starting to ebb away. It felt good to talk to people she had so much in common with, Sylvie was her twin, but the girls had hardly anything to talk about. 

"Night Daph, Night Millie, Night Tracy." She smiled at the chorus of goodnight she got in return, closing her eyes she slipped off into an easy sleep full of dreams of golden magic and smiling faces.


End file.
